10 things you need to know in markets today

A 3D-printed Sanpang strawberry milk flavoured ice-cream is seen at the Iceason ice-cream shop in Shanghai, China, April 27, 2016. Sanpang is a Chinese nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Reuters/Aly Song
Good morning! Here's what you need to know in markets on Thursday.

The Bank of Japan left rates unchanged at -0.1%. For the second time in three months the Bank of Japan has stunned financial markets, leaving monetary policy unchanged following its April monetary policy meeting. Voting 8-1 in favour of the measure, the bank maintained its pledge to increase the nation's monetary base at an annual rate of around 80 trillion yen, bucking expectations for an increase in asset purchases that many has been forecasting.

Facebook smashed expectations. The social network reported its first quarter results on Wednesday evening. Among the key numbers, revenues were $5.38 billion vs. $5.25 billion expected, and up 52% year-over-year. Ad revenue is up 57% year-over-year. Shares rose 9% in after hours trading as a result.

Crude oil is slipping on Thursday. Around 6:50 a.m. BST (1:50 a.m. ET) both major oil benchmarks are off by around 0.6% as the world's most traded commodity falls off the year-to-date highs seen on Wednesday. Brent crude, the international benchmark is trading at $46.62 per barrel, while WTI crude is hovering just about $45, at $45.02.